


Unspoken Attraction

by litakelly



Series: Captain Canary [1]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, POV Alternating, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-05-28 05:49:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15042131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/litakelly/pseuds/litakelly
Summary: This is sort of my prequel to the CC fics I've written previously and I wanted to sort of explore the time leading up to their eventual romance. Willmostlybe one chapter per episode post Progeny through Destiny.Chapter 6 is up! Chapter 7 is being polished and will take place during Destiny and include a fix-it. Once that’s up I may tweak a little to lead directly to Searing Heat/Cold, which will still serve as a stand alone but will hopefully make the transition a bit smoother.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara finds Leonard after his fight with Mick at the end of episode 1x10 Progeny

Sara found Leonard on the floor in the cargo bay, he was leaned against the back wall sitting in the shadow of a large container.  
  
“So, this is where you’ve been hiding,” Sara teased and sat atop a smaller crate nearby.  
  
“’m not hiding,” he sulked, shooting her a sidelong glance.  
  
“I see your little chat with Mick went well,”  
  
“Well, we’re both still breathing so I’ll call that a relatively positive resolution.”  
  
Sara stood and moved for the doorway, “I’ll be right back, those bruises need ice before they swell.”  
  
Leonard huffed and leaned his head back against the wall closing his eyes. Sara went to the kitchen and asked Gideon to fabricate an icepack, grabbing a couple beers and a wash cloth in the process and heading back to the cargo bay.  
  
“Here,” she handed Leonard a beer and knelt in front of him. She wrapped the icepack in the dishcloth and held it to his face.  
  
“Ow,” Leonard said flatly before twisting off the beer top and taking a sip.  
  
“Jesus Leonard,” she muttered, “you probably have a concussion you know.”  
  
“Wouldn’t be the first time. What are you doing here anyway?”  
  
“Figured you’d do something stupid, I thought I’d make sure Mick hadn’t killed you and made off with the jump ship, that would have been a whole other headache to deal with.”  
  
Leonard scoffed and leaned slightly into where Sara was now icing his bruised jaw. He lifted his hand and very gently covered hers, his eyes finally meeting hers.  
  
“I can take it from here,” he whispered, replacing her hand holding the icepack.  
  
“Kay,” she murmured and pulled her hand back tentatively. She began to rise to go but felt his other hand gently grab her wrist.  
  
“Wait,” he pleaded under his breath. She looked at his hand which held her arm, his fingers were cold from the beer he’d been holding which now sat on the cargo floor next to him.  
  
Sara gave a quick nod and sat down next to him and opened her own beer. Leonard retrieved his bottle and took a drink.  
  
“Thanks,” he said quietly. For the beer or for sitting with him she didn’t quite know but just nodded in response.  
  
“So, are you guys okay now?” she asked, quickly adding “and don’t say “Peachy,”  
  
Leonard let out a heavy sigh, “Yeah, we’ll be fine. Mick responds better to physical catharsis than words.”  
  
Sara smirked, raising her eyebrow and glancing at him, “you guys get into a lot of fights growing up?”  
  
Leonard quirked a small smile, “a few, mostly we just got into fights with other kids in juvie.”  
  
Sara chuckled at that, "I bet you two got into a lot of trouble," Leonard smirked and laughed a little at that as well.  
  
"Yeah, I never would've imagined one day we'd be traveling through time with a bunch of do-gooders, and a rather... distracting... assassin." Leonard gave her a knowing grin and set down the icepack before taking another pull from his beer.  
  
Sara took a large drink from her beer and looked away distractedly.  
  
"Sara," he whispered, "why do you keep running from this?"  
  
Sara pretended not to catch his meaning, "from what exactly?"  
  
"Us."  
  
"There is no 'us'" she muttered sadly.   
  
"There could be," he countered. "Look, I'm not gonna push you if you don't want this, but we've been doing this dance for weeks now and I'm tired of acting like it's nothing," he drawled soberly.   
  
Sara looked deep in thought, staring at her boots.   
  
"So if all you want is really just to keep playing cards and drinking beer, then that's fine. But I survive by trusting my instincts and my gut is telling me there is something more to this, there's something holding you back," he grinned then, "and it isn't lack of interest."   
  
"No," she murmured still rather distracted, "it isn't." She glanced at him slightly without meeting his gaze, "I haven't...  _been_ with anyone since the pit. Flirting is one thing, the odd kiss is another, but actual feelings are... overwhelming. Distracting even, and being distracted can get you killed." She looked at him fully then, echoing his comment about her from earlier, her eyes looking resigned and a little forlorn.   
  
"Sara, don't write this off to protect me," he said with conviction and cupped her cheek with one hand, "I just want to know, do you want this?"  
  
Sara eyes flickered between his and whispered, "yes." He leaned in to kiss her then, a slow but firm kiss that told her he was serious. She set down her beer and took his face gently in her hands careful of his bruises, then pulled back after a moment to rest her forehead against his. They both were breathing shallower and she kept her eyes closed tight while she just breathed him.  
  
"But it doesn't matter what I want," she said finally, "I'm sorry" and got up and left him there breathing heavily looking thoroughly confused.  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during episode 1x11 The Magnificent Eight

After Sara left Leonard sitting in the cargo bay without any kind of explanation he figured she needed her space and opted not to push. She'd said she was interested but clearly had some reservations to work through so he decided to let her come to him. He hadn't intended to act like nothing had happened, but Sara didn't say anything and the team had bigger problems to deal with so it seemed the status quo would prevail. Rip concluded their best course of action in hiding from the time masters was the old west and they all began to pick out their era-appropriate clothing from the fabricator. 

Sara finished her look by topping it all with a cowboy hat and a flourish making Kendra eye her skeptically, "Really? You're gonna go full cowboy for this one?"

"Hell yeah I am, and I'll be the one laughing when you have to fight in a dress and corset," she smirked and Kendra laughed good-naturedly.

"Actually, I believe in this instance it would be going 'full cowgirl'" Leonard interjected smugly. Sara mock glared at him, unsure how he somehow managed to make that sound dirty.

"Touché," Kendra smiled and gave Sara a knowing glance before heading off to find Ray.

Leonard was eyeing her appreciatively from where he stood leaning against a wall in his full black getup. He had his arms crossed and his hat tilted down just enough to look like he'd stepped out of some old western where he was the villain. 

Sara was about to think of some way to tease him but was stopped when Gideon announced that Rip wanted them all wanted on the bridge.

"After you, assassin," he drawled and motioned that he would follow.

Sara narrowed her eyes but turned to leave all the same, knowing he would probably be checking out her ass as they walked out and adding a little extra sway to her walk just for good measure.

 

They made it to Salvation 1871 and upon finding the nearest saloon Sara opted to join Mick at the bar, hoping to put Leonard out of her mind. After the fight broke out at the card tables and Jonah Hex stepped in, Leonard slipped outside while Hex began to question a few of the Legends. Sara decided to grab another drink for the road and headed for the door.

Sara was feeling buzzed on more than just the cheap whiskey. She always felt a rush after a fight but the combination of alcohol and a good old fashioned saloon brawl had her blood singing. It didn't hurt that Leonard had been giving her those _looks_ all day, she had feared things might be awkward after her abrupt departure the day before but things seemed to be stabilizing.

She couldn't pinpoint quite what had scared her off the other day. She knew it was a bad idea for them to get involved and she thought if she just resisted then the urge would go away. Any other fling would have been fine but she kept getting these messy feelings whenever she was around him and she just wasn't ready to commit to another person.

She walked out of the saloon feeling lighter than she had in days and spotted Leonard down at the end of the walkway outside. He was leaning against the last beam before the walkway dropped off onto plain dirt, waiting for the rest of the team to make it outside.

"Nice shooting crook, you make a pretty fine gunslinger," she grinned as she walked over.

He smirked as she approached, "Quite the compliment coming from an assassin," he drawled casually. "See you drank Mick under the table, no mean feat."

"Eh, he has no staying power, can take a lot of drinks in a short time but tires out pretty easily." 

Leonard chuckled, "doesn't have the stamina to keep up with you?" His eyes glinted as he grinned at her.

Sara laughed and shook her head feeling giddy, "I guess not." 

"You know that look really does suit you," he said a little quieter.

Sara felt her cheeks warm and decided to blame it on the booze, "thanks," she hopped up to sit on the rail near him. "I like your look as well, the whole ‘man in black’ thing, very Johnny Cash.”

Leonard chuckled, “Don't think I've ever been compared to Johnny Cash before, good?”

Sara smirked back, “Good.”

Then Jax and Stein stumbled out attempting to carry Mick with his arms over their shoulders and his head back drooling out the side of his mouth.

"A little help, Mr Snart?" Martin cried out upon seeing Leonard at the end of the walkway. 

"Yeah, Ray's busy fanboying over Jonah Hex in there, but the owner says we gotta get Mick outta his saloon." Jax added irritably.  

Leonard just rolled his eyes and gave Sara a put upon look before heading over to relieve Stein of his position under Mick's left arm. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place part way through episode 1x11 The Magnificent Eight and into 1x12 Last Refuge.

Sara grinned in relaxed amusement as Leonard lifted Mick’s arm over his shoulder easily, acting far more annoyed than he actually was. He really was becoming more of a team player, though she’d never tell him that.

“Alright boys, lets get a move on. Any sign of Kendra?” She asked before hopping down and placing her hands on her hips casually.

“Uh, I think she’s still inside with Ray?” Jax suggested half heartedly as he, Mick and Leonard passed by.

“I will go retrieve Raymond and Miss Saunders, barring any complications with Mister Hex,” Stein announced and headed back inside.

Sara shrugged and trailed behind the two of her teammates who were hobbling towards the Waverider carrying the drooling Rogue between them.

When Stein, Ray and Kendra arrived at the ship shortly after they had Jonah with them. Kendra told Sara about the situation with the woman from the Saloon and she decided to go along and get some fresh air. She wanted to support Kendra and was also all too eager to focus on someone else’s personal turmoil rather than her own.

When it turned out to center around the fate of Kendra’s relationship and whether or not it would lead to heartbreak, Sara couldn’t help but wonder about her own. They rode back to the ship in silence and Sara thought of Leonard and tried to determine what was holding her back. _At least there isn’t some curse or prophecy dooming us to fail._ She scowled at that, _Wait, ‘us’?_ Her own mind was starting to betray her.

When they arrived back on the ship Sara attempted to disuade Kendra from taking her former self’s warning to heart. She realized that sometimes worrying and thinking too much sometimes got people to get into their own way. After Kendra went off to her own room, Sara decided to take some of her own advice and stop thinking so much about all the things that could go wrong.

She ran into Leonard and Mick in the hall who filled her in about the impending gunfight with the Stillwater Gang.

“It’s gonna be awesome,” Mick growled happily as he headed out.

Leonard hung back a moment to talk to Sara.

“So, where did you and Kendra slip off to, need a bit of girl time?” He teased in his usual drawl.

“We just went for a ride, didn’t realize you boys’d be starting an all out feud otherwise we would’ve stuck around,” she countered casually.

“Mm,” he could tell there was more to it than that but let it go regardless. “Well, I have a prisoner to escort to the dual, care to join me?”

“Thought you’d never ask,” she smiled and followed as they headed for the brig.

 

After the showdown with the Stillwater gang and the hunter attack which followed, the Legends began collecting their younger more vulnerable selves out of time.

Upon saving teenage Mick and Sara from the timeline the Pilgram subsequently began cloaking her movements through time and forcing them to retrieve their infant selves. While Ray and Mick collected baby Stein, Kendra and Sara went to steal the baby crook.

“Alright, this is just like any other mission. The mark may be a newborn but it might as well be a diamond or a microchip” Sara felt compelled to treat this particular mission as objectively as possible.

“You’re starting to sound like Snart,” Kendra teased.

“Ugh,” Sara rolled her eyes, her attempt to remain detached backfiring.

Kendra went to find the baby Leonard and Sara watched the door, after Kendra got sidetracked Sara came over to hurry her along and couldn’t help but stop herself. Baby Leonard. He really was an adorable baby, and Sara couldn’t help but imagine what a baby of his own would look like. Her stomach did a little flip and she mentally reprimanded herself. She handed him to Kendra and forced herself to keep to the mission.

Later when his infant self was being watched by teenage Mick, Sara returned to the bridge to announce their mission’s success.

“Baby Snart is safe and secure.” She said proudly and went to lean against the wall next to Leonard.

“Excellent,” Rip confirmed and moved on to dealing with locating the next of their infant team members.

“Hey,” Sara said conspiratorially, “you hungry?”

Leonard smirked and murmured back, “starving,” before pushing off the wall and following Sara to the galley.

“You know you really were a surprisingly adorable baby,” Sara smirked over her shoulder at Leonard as they walked.

“Don’t act so shocked, these looks didn’t just develop over time,” he drawled back with amusement. “Besides, you think I was a cute baby you should’ve seen Lisa, she was like a Gerber baby but more devious.” He smiled proudly thinking of his little sister.

Sara laughed at that as they arrived in the galley and went to grab an apple and a protein bar, “I can only imagine. I’ve never actually met your sister but what you’ve said about her paints quite the picture,” she teased.

Leonard grabbed an orange and began to peel it, leaning against the counter and occasionally turning to toss pieces of the peel onto the surface behind him.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he said matter of factly, “I love her beyond words but she’s a little bit crazy, in the best way,” he considered it for a moment, “she’s a bit like a siren, beautiful, but likely to lead men to their deaths,” he grinned.

“You’re kind of dysfunctional siblings, you know that right?” She laughed and took a bite of her apple, “but so are me and Laurel, so no judgements” she added while still chewing.

Leonard chuckled at that, “I suppose we are, I practically raised her when I wasn’t in juvie...” he popped a piece of orange into his mouth and thought while he chewed. “Dad was a son of a bitch, but we ended up being closer for it out of necessity,” he looked a bit withdrawn then added, “I sometimes worry what will happen to her if I don’t make it back to 2016.” His eyes were distant for a moment before he seemed to push those thoughts away. “But she’s a tough kid, really more a danger to society than herself.”

Sara smiled fondly at him, “I’d expect nothing less from a Snart.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place at the end of episode 1x12 Last Refuge before 1x13 Leviathan.

With the Pilgrim defeated, the team had given amnesia pills to their temporarily sequestered loved ones, before returning them to the timeline.  
  
After each of them boarded the ship again they gathered on the bridge to debrief. As they discussed their next course of action Sara couldn’t help but notice Leonard being especially snarky and perhaps a little... anxious? She knew that he often masked his emotions with snark and deflection, but he seemed more on edge than usual and it unsettled her.  
  
When the team dispersed Mick unintentionally relocated half the group announcing that he needed a drink, and Jax, Leonard and Sara all echoing the sentiment. Much to Sara’s surprise, Mick somehow ended up commiserating with Jax over both of their fathers being in the military, and it’s respective impact on their childhoods.  
  
“Fuckin’ ‘Nam. Ruined my old man,” Mick slurred and leaned back in his chair before letting out a large burp.

Jax shook his head in agreement, “‘s ridiculous, how many father’s had to abandon their families, man? All for what?”

Leonard rolled his eyes at Sara making her grin in amusement. Mick and Jax had put back considerably more beers and had seemingly forgot the crook and former assassin were even there.

Sara leaned a little closer to Leonard, “so, earlier you seemed a little more... _tense_ than usual, I would’ve thought seeing Lisa would have a more positive affect?”

Leonard sighed, “yeah well, she was only a kid when we picked her up, just... it was hard to take her back there... knowing the kind of home she was going back to...” he trailed off looking defeated.

Sara’s heart fell, “I’m sorry, I hadn’t thought about that.” It hadn’t occurred to her that in his case the little family reunion might bring up more painful memories than good ones.

Mick and Jax continued to drink and ramble until they eventually somehow got into a dispute about who was better at darts and left the galley in search of a dart board.

“Haircut will have something we can throw darts at, at the very least we use his head as a target,” Mick growled with an excited grin on his face.

“I bet he’s got some kind of advanced targeting set up or somethin’ in his lab,” Jax followed Mick waving his hands animatedly, going on to suggest Ray should design some kind of holographic dart game for them.  
  
After the two inebriated teammates left the galley Leonard seemed to relax a little more. He was always a little more at ease when it was just the two of them.

“I’m sorry seeing Lisa had to come with painful memories,” Sara murmured softly. 

Leonard studied her for a moment, unsure how to respond. “Yeah well, things with family can be... complicated. Seemed like your farewells went a little smoother,” he drawled.

“Yeah, it was funny seeing my dad so young again, reminded me of how he looked when I was growing up.” They sat quietly for a few moments in relatively comfortable silence.

“I know it was hard to take her back there,” Sara started, feeling the need to bring him back from whatever memories had taken ahold of him, “but, remember that old you is back there too, looking after her, protecting her.”

Leonard was still quiet, considering, then let out a weary sigh, “I couldn’t always protect her though,” he said quietly. “I never really cared what he did to _me_ , because I figured any hit I took, was one she didn’t, but I wasn’t always there...” he hesitated, “It was my failure to keep her safe that hurt worse than any punch.” His eyes were steely and a little resigned. She could tell that the weight of raising Lisa had taken an enormous toll on him. 

“Well, kinda hard to have a life of your own when you gotta be watching your kid sister all the time. Did you ever... take her with you on jobs?” She asked cautiously, careful to leave any judgement or feeling about it out of her tone.

Leonard scoffed, “not for a long time, she was always begging me to come along, but I made her stay home till she turned eighteen. Kinda hard to wrangle her after that, hell even before that.”

An amused little smirk was tugging at the corner of his mouth and it made her smile. “Still didn’t let her come on jobs with me for a few years after that. Eventually she was just getting into too much trouble and I figured it was better to have her along where I could keep an eye on her. Lisa can be... reckless, on her own.”

“Sounds like she and I would’ve hit it off as teenagers,” Sara smiled wide, “I was always getting into trouble, sneaking out, breaking curfew, and Laurel was always the one trying to keep an eye on me. You don’t really appreciate that when you’re young, it just feels like your big sibling is trying to boss you around. It took awhile to realize how much she really had my back.”

Leonard watched her with a soft sort of considering look on his face.

“Anyway, definitely a good thing we didn’t meet back then, I had kind of a thing for older guys,” Sara thought of Oliver, “ _especially_ if they were off limits,” she smiled but there was a bit of sadness behind her eyes which didn’t go unnoticed.

“Mmm,” he hummed in acknowledgment, “and how exactly am I ‘off limits’?” He asked innocently, earning him a hard nudge in the shoulder. 

“I mean if I’d been friends with Lisa back in the day,” she clarified. 

“Ahh, crush on your friend’s older brother, no that probably would not have gone well, especially in Lisa’s case. She’s not especially good at sharing, and she was always a little _over_ protective—“

Sara scoffed, “you’re one to talk.”

“For a younger sibling, I mean.”

“Ah. So you never dated any of Lisa’s friends?”

Leonard chuckled at that, “no, never. She never had too many friends to begin with, it’s hard to get close to people when you’ve got someone like Lewis Snart for a father. Not many play dates, or sleepovers. Besides, there’s quite a noticeable age gap,” he smirked in a somewhat self deprecating way. 

Sara smiled back, giving him a flirty smirk before taking another drink from her beer, “hadn’t really noticed.”

Leonard smiled almost fondly at her, studying her face, seemingly trying to glean some further tell from her face. She quickly looked away feeling the weight of the moment and hoping to regain the lightness their flirtation usually held. Leonard’s smile faltered somewhat and he sighed and stood up looking resigned. 

“Well, big day ‘tomorrow,’ or at least in approximately 8 hours,” he stated, checking the timer on his watch. 

_It is actually 7 hours and 49 minutes until Captain Hunter is expecting you both on the bridge, Mr Snart._

Leonard rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance, “yes Gideon, that is what I meant by ‘approximately’.” He collected his beer and directed his attention back to Sara, “best to get some rest, assassin, I’ll see you ‘in the morning’” he quoted with his index fingers and turned to leave.

Sara grinned at Leonard’s exchange with Gideon and fought not to outright laugh at his irritation with the AI. She gave him a small smile as she wished him goodnight then finished her beer and headed off to at least attempt to get some sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during and post episode 1x13 Leviathan.

The team arrived in London in 2166 and after a botched attempt at Savage they ended up kidnapping his daughter instead. The team debated what to do with Cassandra and settled upon interrogating her. Leonard announced he was on it and headed for the brig, followed by Sara who quickly fell into step with him. 

“So how do think we should play this? I know the League of Assassins trained you in shall we say ‘creative ways’ of getting information,” Leonard glanced at Sara, “but something tells me that being Savage’s daughter has prepared her for that sort of thing.”

“Fair point,” Sara added, “but you know that may work to our advantage.”

“Meaning?”

Sara looked considering, “Well... if you’re comfortable with it, I think you may have a bit of a unique insight that could be the key to cracking her.”

Leonard looked puzzled for a moment then stopped just outside the doors to the brig. “You mean, because I also had a psychopath for a father,” he stated coldly.

Sara searched his eyes, “because you could see your father for what he was. And you didn’t make excuses for him. So, maybe she just needs a little reminder that she is not the sum of her father’s choices.”

Leonard stared back at her, eyes full of conflict, then suddenly they calmed and his cool composure was back. “Try to flip her. Got it. Solid plan. We gonna play good cop bad cop? Afraid to say I don’t think either of us is really cut out for good cop—“

“Actually, I think it should be just you.”

 Leonard looked taken aback, “o-kaaay,” he drawled slowly in mild confusion.

“I think she’ll open up to you. Behind all that cold you’re surprisingly easy to talk to, and you get it. And...” she hesitated then gave him a small smile, “it doesn’t hurt that you’re easy on the eyes,” she teased just a little at the end to get him out of his head.

Leonard smirked at her, “so throw in a little _charm_ you mean, if you insist,” he drawled smugly, “see you in a bit, have the information shortly.” Sara smiled at him with that look she reserved for whenever he said something clever and he turned and headed into the brig.

 

The plan worked and Leonard was able to change Cassandra’s allegiance. They used the information to infiltrate Savage’s organization and ultimately capture him. With him secured in the brig Leonard took Cassandra to meet with the rebel forces to ensure her knowledge would be put to good use then headed back to the Waverider.

Once back on the ship Leonard went in search of Sara, who was currently in the cargo bay stowing some of her weapons.

She heard him approach and lean against the doorframe but didn’t turn to face him, instead finishing up securing her bo in its case. 

“That was good work with the interrogation, she responded to you, maybe even a little too well.” Sara turned to face him where he was leaning against the doorframe and gave him a smirk without any real joy behind it. She didn’t think of herself as a jealous person, but something about seeing him banter with Cassandra in _their_ usual fashion had irked her just a tad.

“What, you think I go for any old blonde who knows how to fight?” He grinned at her, then looked down for a seconddispensing with some of the bravado, “you know an act when you see one, Sara, especially from me.”

Sara studied him carefully, surprised at his candor, then walked over to stand in front of him, “that I do,” she said quietly, then gave him a small smile. “Good work today,crook, cards later?”

He grinned at her, “you read my mind,” and she skirted around him to go change and take a shower.

Leonard watched her go and struggled not to imagine how she’d soon be naked under the hot spray of her shower, wishing desperately he could be there with her. _Kissing her, touching her._ He shook his mind from the dangerous direction it was headed in and went in search of a cold shower to get both his mind and body back in check.

Sara tried not to think about that look she’d seen in Leonard’s eyes. She kept telling herself that they could flirt and banter and maintain a certain status quo without making things complicated, but the situation seemed to be escalating of its own accord and she couldn’t bring herself to stay away. Every time she thought she had the upper hand he’d give her one of those looks and she’d almost lose herself in his eyes. It would be infuriating it it wasn’t so intoxicating in equal measure. She allowed the hot spray of the shower to beat down on her muscles and couldn’t help but wish he were there behind her. _Pressed firmly against— no, cool it Lance._ Thoughts like that were getting more frequent and it was all she could do to quickly finish her shower with cold water instead.

 

After getting dressed and doing some meditation to clear her mind she heard a faint knock at her door. She instructed Gideon to unlock it and the door opened to allow Leonard in carrying their usual deck of cards.

“Hope I’m not interrupting,” he drawled casually and eased into his normal spot at the edge of the bed.

Sara smiled, “nothing to interrupt, gin?”

“Is that the game you’re proposing or are you trying to get me drunk?” He grinned at her and began to leisurely shuffle the deck. 

Sara rolled her eyes, “I meant the game, but I’m sure I could scrounge something up if you’d like?”

“Not necessary, have to keep my wits about me around you, assassin,” he smirked.

Sara scoffed, “you’re the one that cheats.” She settled against the wall and took the cards as he dealt them to her.

They played and bantered casually for a few hours until eventually Sara let out a yawn which she attempted to stifle.

“Alright, you need to sleep,” Leonard stated.

“Whoa whoa you just wanna quit while you’re winning,” she complained before another small yawn escaped her mouth.

Leonard gave her that fond smile again as he began collecting the cards, “very true, but we can always play again tomorrow. Maybe I’ll even let you win,” he smirked at her and got up to leave.

Sara huffed in mock annoyance and flopped onto the middle of the bed, “yeah _sure_ , like I just let _you_ win,” she grumbled.

Leonard paused for just a moment at the door then turned and gave her one of those fond looks. “Goodnight, _Sara_ ,” he murmured, making her name somehow sound like the sweetest term of endearment.

“G’night, Len,” she responded quietly. 

He turned then and left and she sighed heavily, wishing he didn’t have to go. But this was what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? To just be friends, teammates, sometimes confidentes? It was getting harder and harder to remember why, but when she really asked herself she knew if nothing else that the more she cared about him the more important it would be for her to keep some distance. At the end of this mission they would all part ways, those of them that were left that is, and what then? A sometimes vigilante and a washed up crook with a city’s worth of baggage between them? It had been weeks since she’d shut him down in the cargo hold and it was pointless to dream those looks he gave her could end in anything other than heartbreak.

Leonard walked back to his room, kicking himself over the way he’d seemingly become some lovesick puppy, mooning over Sara Lance. He was here to do a job. To be a thief, and a _damn_ good one, not to hand over his heart to the most deadly woman he’d ever met. He’d get these feelings in check, if nothing else than to do his job. Like Sara’d said, it was sloppy to get so distracted, and in the end he could wind up putting himself, the team, or most importantly even _her_ in danger. He told himself he needed to regain some of the ice that had begun to thaw, he needed to remember how to be _Captain Cold_.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during episode 1x14 River of Time.

After the previous night’s card game both Leonard and Sara had personally resolved to get their feelings in check. They’d each come to similar conclusions completely independent of the other and both focused their energy on the mission. 

 _“As long as he’s on board and breathing, Savage is a threat to everyone on this ship.”_  

Leonard was arguing the point of Savage’s presence on the ship and Sara couldn’t agree more. She had been recruited both for her skill as a fighter and most importantly for her expertise as an assassin. This mission had always been about _stopping Savage_ , and that included stopping his heart from beating. She was glad to be on the same page as Leonard and between him, Mick, and herself they all agreed what should be done with their prisoner. 

Sara sympathized with Kendra, and she didn’t want to abandon Carter to his fate, but this was bigger than her, bigger than Carter, and bigger than their ‘undying’ love story. Mick made the valid point that Carter would reincarnate anyway. It seemed incredibly selfish to jeopardize all of their lives just to save someone who would inevitably come back anyway. Kendra and Carter had eternity together, _some of us don’t even get to have that in one lifetime_ , she thought bitterly.

Leonard passed the pilfered scotch back to Sara and she couldn’t help but think of how his lips had just been on the bottle. She took a swig and tried to wash the thought away.

Ray walked in and shared the findings from his battle with Savage’s giant robot and Rip enthusiastically jumped at the chance to both stop Savage and perhaps clear his name as it were to the Time Masters.

After pushing the ship past its limits, the time drive failed and Sara sought to determine whether Rip’s motives were still on the level. He’d been behaving with a sort of untouchable, too big to fail bravado since learning of Savage’s future tech and the possibility of swaying the Time Masters. She had made the personal decision to put the mission before her own feelings or desires and to see Rip so brazenly do the opposite stung of betrayal.

Meanwhile Leonard’s sense of disquiet was only getting worse. That nagging feeling at the back of his mind telling him to cut and run was becoming overwhelming. He went to confront Rip, if they were going to get out of this alive they needed to kill Savage once and for all. His sense of self preservation, that drive that had been pushing him since he was a kid in juvie, the thing that had kept him alive all these years was taking control.

Rip became defensive, asking if Mick and Sara agreed and while he knew his partner was of the same mind it strengthened his resolve to hear Sara stand up to Rip’s arrogance. The Captain informed them that they were welcome to abandon ship and he turned to leave. He walked confidently to the jump ship with Mick in tow and hoping Sara was right behind them, perhaps after giving Rip a few more choice words and perhaps a good right hook to the face.

Sara felt at odds with herself. She wanted to follow Leonard and Mick, whether to stop them or join she wasn’t sure. But despite Rip’s selfishness, she couldn’t abandon the rest of her team. She’d made a commitment to stopping Savage and she wasn’t going to run away without finishing the mission. Part of her hoped the two ex cons _would_ go home, if at the very least she knew Leonard was safe then she could take down Savage without having to worry about protecting him. She could only hope that if they did defeat Savage, maybe she could make it back to 2016 and there might be a certain jewel thief there waiting for her, safe and sound.

Then their prisoner got free and all hell broke loose. Despite everything they somehow managed to get the wave rider to the vanishing point with Gideon still offline and was relieved to see that Mick and Leonard had not only stayed but had helped to take Savage down. She thought maybe they wouldn’t need to get separated after all and gladly accepted his invitation for a game of cards.

Leonard was annoyed that they’d let Savage live, but was at least happy to have him off the ship. He settled into a game of cards with Sara hoping the familiarity would ease that still nagging feeling. He couldn’t quite relax, and when he heard the ship be boarded his hyper-vigilance paid off. Something was terribly wrong, and he had to get Sara to safety.


End file.
